1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as an electrophotographic device composed of a printer, a copying machine, a facsimile, etc. using a laser and recording image on a sheet of paper by using an electrophotographic processing. More particularly, the present invention relates to a developing device for attaching toner onto a photosensitive body to visualize a latent image on the photosensitive body in such an image forming apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a general image forming apparatus, a used toner storing portion is integrally disposed with a cleaner. In such an image forming apparatus, after a toner image is transferred onto a sheet of paper, remaining toner left on a photosensitive body is removed therefrom by the cleaner and is collected into the used toner storing portion. In the image forming apparatus of this kind, the used toner storing portion is replaced by a new one together with the cleaner.
In this image forming apparatus, a used toner bottle is connected to the cleaner through a conveying means such that the remaining toner removed from the photosensitive body by the cleaner is conveyed by the conveying means and is collected into the used toner bottle. In such a structure, when the used toner bottle is filled with the remaining toner, this used toner bottle is replaced by a new one.
However, such a structure has the following problems.
(1) It is necessary to dispose a mechanism for detecting a filling state of the used toner storing portion or the used toner bottle.
(2) When the used toner storing portion is integrally disposed with the cleaner, the size of the used toner storing portion is reduced since a space for attaching the used toner storing portion to the cleaner is small. Therefore, it is necessary to often replace the used toner storing portion by a new one so that it is troublesome for a user to perform such a replacing operation.
(3) When the used toner is collected into the used toner bottle, it is troublesome for the user to dispose of the used toner bottle detached from the image forming apparatus.